Forming back seams



Feb, 2 1933. w. P. OSGOOD 1,899,049

' FORMING BACK SEAMS Filed July 30, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l jive via? Feb. 28, 1933. w p QSGOOD 1,899,049

FORMING BACK SEAMS Filed July 30, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 through the machine.

Patented Feb. 28, 1933 Unit's!) STATES PATENT oFicE WALTER P. OSGOOD, OF MALDEN', MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGINOR T0 BOSTON MACHINE WORKS COMPANY, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS FORMING BACK SEAMS Application filed July 30, 1930. Serial No. 471,665.

The present invention relates to the manufacture of shoes, and more particularly both to a method of forming back seams in the quarter sections of shoe uppers and to a back seam pressing machine.

In order to join the quarters of a shoe upper it is customary to superimpose them, flesh faces exposed, with their curved edges aligned and then secure them together by through and through stitches. When the joined quarters are turned right side out for incorporation in a shoe, a ridge, comprising the material of the quarters between the adjacent free edges thereof and the seam, projects laterally inside the joined quarters. In order to reduce the abrupt character of the ridge it is subjected to an operation in which the ridge is pressed and/ or covered with tape. Usually this operation is performed in a machine in which the ridge is subjected to pressure momentarily by a tool which also acts to feed the ridge in a step-by-step manner Experience has demonstrated that it is impossible to press the ridgefiat through its subjection to pressure momentarily and progressively applied. In consequence when the quarters are assembled with a counter the projecting ridge engages the back face of the counter and forms windpuifs or air pockets between the counter and the quarters at opposite sides of the backseam. Stated in another way, the ridge holds the quarters away from the counter adjacent the back seam and thus prevents the cement used to paste the quarters to the counter, from securing the quarters adjacent the back seam to the counter. The ridge is thus free to shift on the counter during the pullingover and bed lasting operations resulting in a crooked or distorted back seam. This freedom of the back seam to shift under strain is the reason why it is necessary to drive a tack through the quarters, counter and lining into the back face of the last, a practice which results in disfigurement of the finished shoe. Moreover the ridge by pressing against the counter tends to open further the opened quarters and thus to throw the thread in the back seam outwardly so that it is exposed to wear.

The principal objects of the present inven I tion are to devise a method of forming shoe upper back seams whereby the back seam may be reduced to the thickness substantially of one of the shoe quarter sections and to produce a back seam pressing machine for practicing the back seam pressing step in said method.

To the accomplishment of these objects the various features of the present invention consist in certain methods, combinations, and arrangements of parts hereinafter described, and then pointed out broadly and in detail in the appended claims, possessing advantages readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

The various features of the present invention will bereadily understood from an in spection of the accompanying drawings illustrating the best form of the invention at present known to the inventor, in which,

Figure l is a view in left side elevation of a seam pressing machine;

Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation of the seam pressing machine;

Fig. 3 is a view in sectional elevation on the line 33, of Fig. 4;

Fig. 4 is a view in front sectional elevation of the cooperating anvil and pressing jaws;

Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of the shoe quarter sections sewed together with the flesh side out by a curved seam, and

Fig. 6 is a view in perspective of the sewed quarter sections which have been separated slightly preparatory to the insertion of the sections into the seam pressing machine.

Referring to the drawings the quarters 7 and 8 are sewed together by a seam 9 with their wrong or flesh faces exposed, (Fig. 5). The quarters 7 and 8 are sewed together along a curved line to give a rounded contour to the quarters adjacent to the seam 9 when the quarters are turned right side out. The curve of the sewing line is predetermined so that the rounded contour imparted to the quarters will closely approximate the contour imparted to the counter which in turn approximates the contour of the heel end of the last upon which the shoe, embodying the quarters and the counter, is to be made. As

shown in Fi 6 the material of the quarters between the ree ends thereof and the seam 9 forms a ridge 10.

In order to subject both sections of the ridge 10 along the entire length of the seam 9 to pressure applied coincidentally, the joined quarters are separated slightly, without turning them right side out, and positioned on an anvil jaw 11 which is mounted 10 like the anvil 'aw in the seam ressing machine disclosed in my Patent 0. 1,881,414, October 4,1932.

The work supporting face of the anvil jaw 11 is convex laterally (Fig. 4) and longitudinally (Fig. 3) and engages the right side of the ined quarters which is the side exposed to view in the finished shoe. The ridge 10 is itioned in a vertical plane intersecting the ongitudinal median line of the anvil jaw 11. m In order to flatten the upstanding ridge 10 and mold the quarters adjacent the back seam, the machine is provided with a pressing jaw 12 having a concave work engaging face complemental to the work engaging face 96 on the anvil jaw 11. The jaw 12 is carried by a head 13 pivoted at 14 (Fig. 1) on the machine frame. The head 13 is oscillated to move the pressing jaw 12 from a position of clearance to a position of pressure and 33 back to a position of clearance through a toggle mechanism 15 constructed to cause the.

pressing jaw 12 to dwell in its. positions of clearance and pressure in a manner disclosed in my patent hereinbefore referred to during the continued operation of the shaft 16 from which the toggle mechanism. 15 is actuated. The anvil jaw 11 and the pressing jaw 12 are heated in the same manner as. the correspondin jaws disclosed in my patent hereinbefore i entified.

As shown in Fig. 2 the machine is provided with two anvil jaws 11, two pressing jaws 12, andtwo oscillating heads 13. The heads 13 are swung forwardly and backwardly by their respective toggle mechanisms automatcally and continuously to bring one pair of anvil and pressing jaws into a. position of pressure and the other pair of anvil and pressing jaws into a position of clearance.

The heads 13 are held stationary when the jaws are brought into their positions of pressure and clearance as described in detail in my Patent No. 1,881,414. During the position of clearance the operative inserts the quarters joined b the back seam between the separated jaws. uring the position of pres sure the upstanding ridge of the back seam 9 is flattened under the combined action of heat and heavy essure so that the quarters adjacent the ba seam are consolidated into a unit uniform in thickness throughout its extent. The coo rating pair of anvil and, pressing jaws are eld in the position of pressure for a definite eriod of time to allow us the back seam an the quarters adjacent thereto to become set in the shape to which they are pressed and molded.

When the molded quarters are removed from the machine they are turned right side out and assembled with a counter. Without the ridge the quarters may be cemented to the counter with no cavities therebetween adjacent the back seam. This permits a strong union between the quarters and the counter which prevents distortion of the back seam under pulling-over or bed lasting strains and obviates the use of a back seam tack.

In the appended claims the term shoe quarter sections has been used to designate quarters or linings therefor or for the counter of the shoe.

What is claimed as new, is:

1. That improvement in the art of forming back seams for shoes which consists in sewing a pair of shoe quarter sections together-along a curved line, separating the pieces to present a seam ridge on one face of the work and a seam crease on the other face of the work, supporting the seam crease face of the work on a curved surface and subjecting the seam ridge to sufficiently heavy pressure applied along its entire length coincidentally to reduce the seam ridge to the thickness substantially of one of the shoe quarter sections.

2. In a seam reducing machine, the combi nation with a jaw for supporting work having a concavo-convex formation comprising the quarter sections to form the heel portion of a shoe upper seamed together by a seam presenting a seam ridge on one face of the work and a seam crease on the other facev of the work, said jaw directly en aging the seam crease face of the work, an a coopera jaw acting directly on the seam ridge, 0 means for closing said jaws with heavy pressure to reduce the seam ridge to the thickness substantially of one of the shoe quarter sections.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

WALTER P. OSGOOD. 

